bvc_june2017

52 53 T he U.S. Virgin Islands consists of nine main islands and some 75 is- lets. They were originally inhabited by the Carib Indians and were ex- plored by Columbus in 1493. Since 1666, England has held six of the main islands; the remaining three islands –St. Croix, St. Thom- as, and St. John - as well as about 50 islets were eventually acquired by Denmark and named the Danish West Indies. In 1917, these islands were purchased by the United States from Denmark for $25 million. In 1927, the U.S. Congress granted citizenship to the Virgin Islanders. Universal suffrage followed in 1936 to all persons who could read and write English.The U.S.Virgin Islands are considered an organized, unincorporated territory. Its government consists of three co-equal branches: the Executive, the Judicial, and the Legislative which is comprised of a unicameral, 15-person legislature.Adminis- tratively, the Islands are divided into two districts. Since 1970, the Governor has been elected by THE GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES VIRGIN ISLANDS THE GOVERNMENT OF THE U.S. Virgin Islands GOVERNOR PLEDGES GREATER EFFICIENCY My vision andmy view comes from a real potpourri of experiences from the front line of government, through itsmiddlemanagement, right up to its top, and from thewide spectrum of issues having to dowithmanage- ment and labor, toworkingwithmy clients in terms of trying to improve their bottom line and their compet- itive advantage in themarketplace - thewhole nine yards. KENNETH E. MAPP GOVERNOR popular vote every four years; previously he had been appointed by the U.S. President. The Virgin Islands are represented in the United States House of Representatives by a non-voting, at-large delegate who serves a two-year term and can sit and vote in committee. U.S. Virgin Islands residents cannot vote in presidential elections, but they are able to vote in presidential primary elections for delegates to the Democratic National Convention and the Republican National Convention. Unlike persons born on the mainland and naturalized citizens who derive their citizenship from the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. constitution, those born in the U.S.Virgin Islands derive their U.S. citi-